Not quite as cold
by ennathecookiemonster
Summary: Leonard Snart liked to think of himself as being smarter and colder than anyone else out there in Central City. Years of working with his partner in crime Mick had proven him right over and over again. If even the pyromaniac couldn't melt him, then nobody could. But when they start working with a new thief in town, the cold grounds of their partnership are set to the test. Len/OFC
1. First encounter

**A/N:**

 **Hi there :) This is the first fanfiction I finally found the courage to publish. English is not my first language, so if you notice any grammar/spelling mistakes, please send me a PM!**

 **I just loved Snart and Rory in The Flash and Legends and was so inspired I just HAD to write something. This is a slow burn romance, I already have a few scenes written out and I have a lot of ideas for the plot , so this won't be a story where my OC magically falls in love with Leonard from one moment to the other.**

 **If you like it please be so kind to leave a Review or PM me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the DC characters nor do I make money of this.**

* * *

First encounter

Leonard Snart, or Captain Cold as the papers nowadays referred to him, liked to think of himself as the best thief in Central City and he had been at the top of his game for years. Stealing was his profession, coming up with brilliant plans his speciality and improvising when they went south (what they did on a regular basis) a talent he had inherited from small on.

There was no door, no high security tract and especially no safe that could keep him out. Together with his pyromaniac partner in crime, Mick Rory, commonly known as Heatwave, he had pulled more break-ins and robberies than anyone could count. And he was still walking free.

Central City was his territory and he loved it. No place offered more opportunities for crime, with its blooming economy and countless jewellery stores, banks, museums and rich people. And, most importantly, its incompetent police department, always two steps behind him. Maybe, in hindsight, that had been his downfall. Being at the top of success soon offered no more room for climbing further. And Leonard lived for the game, the chase. What he wanted, he took. But most of all it was about the challenge of getting there, the adrenaline pulsating through his blood when he mastered a difficult job, the proof that he really was the best because there was no situation he couldn't get out of.

With the police being powerless against Captain Cold and Heatwave, Leonard soon felt boredom start seeping into his life and the adrenaline kicks lost their power. But then it all changed. A new player arrived in town. The Flash. A vigilante with superpowers. Leonard had felt like a boy at Christmas Eve, standing in front of all his wrapped presents. Suddenly the risk of getting caught was there again, the game back to the level of unpredictability he craved.

One run in with the Flash and the vigilante had proven himself to be everything and more Leonard had dreamed of. They had to up their game. New weapons, new names, more adrenaline. Going up against the Flash had finally brought back the prospect of an ultimate challenge to master and he had loved every single second of it. Finally a game worth playing.

And then he had lost.

From an objective point of view, he hadn't exactly lost and at that time it certainly didn't feel like it. But in hindsight, with every day Leonard had to live with the consequences, the deal felt more like a defeat to him. Helping the Flash had kept him and Mick out of prison, but now it also kept them out of Central City. His territory.

To Mick it was all the same. As long as he could spend his nights and days off at some bar, drinking and fighting, and his nights on a job lighting things on fire, he was happy. Leonard had to admit that settling down in a new city, with new challenges was interesting in itself.

But without the Flash to go up against, the same boredom he had felt before the rise of the vigilante was showing again. And because of that not even the big diamond theft he had spent three weeks of preparation on could re-spark the kick of adrenaline.

But what else was there to do, Leonard thought to himself, as he entered the tech facility on a quiet Saturday night around two a.m. Knowing his partner's explosive and conspicuous nature, he went in alone, for once seeking the adrenaline push in completing a job without the promise of a shoot-out or a heist involving the police.

Two guards were on night shift, but as predicted they were sitting at the reception, talking, instead of patrolling the building. Taking them out and shutting down the security system was so easy, Leonard already felt his mood drop when he made his way to the stairs. The tech facility itself was huge, but old, running on technologies that had been modern a few years ago.

Because it was aching for a modernisation, the owner was searching for sponsors. Monday the facility would open its doors to the public for an exhibition of whatever incredible dull things they were developing. To interest more people, a private person had agreed on exhibiting their 800 carat diamond. To hold off thieves, word had been spread that the diamond would only arrive by Sunday afternoon, but being the best thief meant having the best sources for intel. So, here he was, crossing the big open space of the building that reached from the ground floor all the way up to the glass roof. Moon light was illuminating his way to the stairs and Leonard felt more at ease in the cold light. The single levels were arranged like balconies, giving the impression of excessive space, but in Leonard's mind it was a mere waste of good space.

He found the exhibit on the third floor right next to the railing. Through his goggles he could see the diamond sparkle in the moon light and thin red lines of lasers surrounding its pedestal, but turning them off was just as easy as everything else so far. He found the fuse box for the lasers in a small maintenance room and it took him no longer than thirty seconds to turn them off. When this security system too failed to challenge him, Leonard sat back on the floor and pulled off his goggles. For a moment he just stared at the box with angry eyes, contemplating whether he should reactivate them to at least get a heist with the police out of the whole thing. But in the end he just shook his head, pulled the goggles back on and exited the room, though not without throwing over a shelf with cleaning tools.

Walking back to his target, a grim expression on his face, his eyes fell on the vitrine and he stopped dead in his tracks. The diamond was gone. A small hole in the glass, just big enough for it to fit through. Someone had used a glass cutter to open the vitrine. The same tool that was hanging from his hand. "Damn it" he cursed. He put the tool away and pulled out his gun. And then he saw her. The diamond thief. Hanging from a black aerial silk in the open space in the middle of the building like an acrobat. Clothed in black, all he could see were her eyes. And they were fixed on him.

"Freeze!" He yelled and pointed the cold gun at her. There was no way he would let her get away. Three weeks of preparation had gone into this job. Three weeks wasted if he didn't get his hands on that diamond. "You come down there, right now. Or I shoot you down and collect the diamond from your dead body downstairs. Choose now."

Her reaction followed immediately. Without making a single noise she let go of the rope and fell out of his sight. "Damn" He sprinted to the railing just in time to see her run across the ground level to the stairs on the opposite side. "The entrance is the other way, idiot!" Holding the gun close to his side he quickly rounded the platform and ran down the stairs. He caught a glimpse of her, running across the second level to reach the stairs on the other side and followed after her. She was faster than him, but he still had the gun. Just before she reached the first step, he paused, aimed and fired. The shot hit her right in the back and gave him enough time to catch up before she was back on her feet.

"As I said" He growled, aiming the cold gun at her head "give it to me" Slowly she turned to face him. Green eyes stared at him and they looked far more frightened than he had expected from a thief. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He grinned. Finally the night had taken an interesting turn. Her eyes darted back and forth between his face and the gun. "Don't even think about it. Now, give me the diamond" She raised her hands in a defensive gesture and nodded, before reaching to her side. He carefully watched her hand as she pulled out a black cloth. A mal decision, because at the same time her other hand snapped up and threw a small balloon into his face.

The balloon exploded and a black liquid splashed over his face, effectively covering his sight. Leonard cursed and fired the gun. But by the time he had pulled off his goggles she was gone.

"This is not happening" He hissed, as he sprinted the stairs up and after her. She was a fast runner, but his legs were longer, being able to take four steps at a time. With every level they reached he caught up, until he finally tackled her down on the highest floor, just as she was making a sprint to jump at her rope. They tumbled over each other, him losing the cold gun in the act. She landed on top and sat up and Leonard expected her to use the chance and punch him in the face. But she didn't. Instead she quickly stood and stumbled backwards.

But Leonard was no one to give up. Ignoring the cold gun a few metres from him he went straight for the girl. Yet again she only side tracked his punches, moving her body with expert precision to avoid his fists, until he stopped. "Huh. Seems like you don't enjoy fighting, do you?" She only looked at him. "Well, if you want to make an exit you have to fight, little Miss Ninja, either that…or you could just give me what I came for. What do you say?" "No" "Ah, so the ninja can speak! Then do tell me, how else do you plan on getting out of here?" She cocked her head. And then, before he could react, she sprinted towards him, only to sidestep him, run up the wall and jump. With his mouth hanging open, Leonard turned as he watched her sail through the air, over the railing and downwards. Until her hands caught a hold of the silk rope and she was hanging out of his reach. Without a last glance at him she quickly pulled herself up to the air duct and disappeared. Just like that she was gone. With the diamond.


	2. Threats and Promises

"Snart, haven't seen you in a while!" "You know me, always busy" Leonard said and nodded at the old man standing behind the bar. The owner of the Ditch was known to his customers as Dougal Lavish, but Leonard had known him long before he had opened the bar and taken on that name. "What's it gonna be for you tonight?" "Information" "Very well, follow me" The barkeeper threw the not so clean dish towel in his hands at one of his employees and led Leonard into a back room where they sat down.

"Want a drink?" "No, thanks." "Right to the point then. What do you need to know?" "I need intel on a new thief in town" "A new thief?" "Yeah" "Description?" "Female. Slender. Works alone. Athletic, knows some…tricks when it comes to climbing with ropes." "Ah, and let me guess, she stole something before you could steal it" Dougal said with a smirk that revealed his numerous golden teeth. "Indeed. I take it you heard of her?" "Oh, heard of her I have. But most men are not as open about it as you" "How so?" "Being tricked by a girl without taking a single punch…that's enough for most men to keep their mouth shut about it. That something you recognize?" "Yes" Leonard mumbled. Dougal chuckled "Well, I've first heard of her about two years ago, but it's very likely that she's been active for longer. As I said" "No one likes to admit he was outwitted by a single girl" "Correct." "So, where can I find her?" "You're not the first one to ask that. Until now no one's found her. But that could also be because no one really kept looking. Instead all those fools just prayed they'd never run across her again." He grinned "I asked around a bit and I'd say from all the descriptions a circus would be the best shot." "A circus…there are thousands of circuses." "Aye, but not all of them are in Central City at this time of the year. And, most importantly, not all of them have such well-trained acrobats."

* * *

"I still don't get it. What are we doing here?" Mick growled impatiently. While the crowd around them was cheering and laughing, he was anything but enthusiastic about their current whereabouts. "I already explained, remember?" Leonard said in a calm tone. "Well, explain again" He rolled his eyes at his partner "Dougal said at the moment this is the circus with the best acrobats in whole New York. There is a pretty high chance we find our little thief here" "You mean your little thief" "Whatever pleases you" "Your little thief" Mick repeated, gazing at him to check if he was riling him up "If I had been there, she wouldn't have escaped." Leonard slowly shook his head, never taking his eyes off the performers in front of them "It was a one man job. No one could have predicted this. And now as it has happened, it has happened. No use debating the what-ifs." "Still" Mick said around a mouth full of popcorn "with me that would never have happened."

Leonard would have closed his eyes in annoyance, hadn't the moderator announced the next act in that moment. "Now give a warm applause for the astonishing, unbelievable, amazing flying acrobats!" Applause rose and five performers fell from the roof, only to catch themselves by the use of aerial silks. Leonard leaned forward. They were all wearing clown masks, but he could make out that only two of them were women. And one of those was matching the physicality of the thief.  
"Gottcha" He mumbled and Mick sighed in relief. "Let's get out of here."

They waited about fifteen minutes, until the small group of performers left the tent. Judging by the cheering crowd inside, the show was over too. They watched the acrobats exchange a few words, before they parted ways, everyone walking off to a different trailer. Leonard and Mick had luck, their thief was heading directly into their direction. "Well, well, well" Leonard said and stepped into the open "If that isn't little Miss Ninja." She paused dead in her tracks when she saw him and he casually leaned his shoulder against her trailer "Do yourself a favour. Don't run"

She did run, though she didn't get far. "See?" Mick said, his hand around her throat "With me that wouldn't have happened" He pushed her back to Leonard and pass him into the shadows, ignoring her weak attempts to draw his hands off her. "Yes, yes. Now why don't we skip that part" Leonard said "and get to the point."

He pulled the mask off her face. "Is this a joke?" Mick spat and looked back at his partner "Are you telling me, you got tricked by _this_?" "Apparently" Leonard mumbled, though even he had troubles believing it. The woman that was staring fearfully at them was so young she couldn't have been out of school for long. She must have been in her early twenties.

"Are you sure this is her?" Leonard threw him a dirty look "Of course I'm sure" "You said she was all covered in black" "True, but her eyes are right" He took her chin in one hand and cocked her head back so he could get a closer look at them "Just as green." "Please let me go" She whispered "You have the wrong person" "Ah, and she can talk" "Most women can talk" Mick growled, but directed his eyes back to her "You gonna give us the diamond, girl, or do I have to punch you?" "I don't know what you're talking about" Her voice was hushed, just as at the facility. There was no doubt that it was her. The fear in her eyes and the way she failed at removing Mick's hand from her neck told Leonard the same things he'd observed a week earlier. "You can't fight, can you?" He said "You might have outrun me once, but that won't happen again. So, tell us where that diamond is and we let you walk."

"I…I don't have it" "Quit the bullshit, we know you do" "No…not anymore." "You sold it?" Mick growled "To whom?" "I…please…it's complicated." Leonard sighed. He knew that look in her eyes. She was so frightened of them that she would tell them everything in a few minutes, without doubt. Every moment passing until that happened was just a waste of time. So, to speed the whole thing up, he pulled out his cold gun and pointed it to her head. If possible, her eyes got even wider. "Recognize this? Bet you do. Now, tell us what we want to know and this is over soon." "I can't, please. If I tell you, he's going to kill me" "Who?" "Listen" Mick hissed at her "if you don't tell us, _we_ will kill you! So open your mouth and talk already!" Leonard put a hand on his partner's arm "Slow down. Who is going to kill you?"

Under their equally menacing stares and the cold gun up against her temple, she finally gave in "The Master." Mick snorted "The Master? Really? What is this? Some twisted sexual thing? You into that?" "No" Leonard interrupted him "She means the show master." She nodded. "So, you don't steal for yourself, but for him?" "Yes" Mick frowned and finally let her go. She immediately took a big step away from him. "Why would you steal things if not to keep them for yourself?" Mick asked confused. "Obviously, because she's afraid of him, isn't that right, little Miss Ninja?" "Please stop calling me that" "Well, what else am I gonna call you?" When she only adverted her eyes he nodded "Yeah, didn't think so. So, where are we gonna find the show master?"

She sunk back against the trailer and sighed. Finally, her resolve had faltered. "The big caravan at the end of the park. You can't miss it. It's the one with all the women on it" Mick raised a brow "Women. That sounds nice" "And what about the diamond? He still has it?" Leonard asked. "Yes. He always waits a month before selling the goods. He has a safe underneath his bed. I don't know the combination, but knowing him it's probably gonna be something intelligent like 1-2-3-4."

"Well, thank you very much." "Yeah, thanks for nothing" she mumbled and slid to the ground. Her curly red hair couldn't hide the anxious expression on her face. Leonard eyed her for a moment, but said nothing. "What are we waiting for?" Mick asked and drummed his fingers against the handle of his gun. "Nothing. Let's go get that diamond." He motioned Mick to follow him and turned his back to the acrobat. Like she had said, the caravan was easy to find. Not only was it twice as big as any other trailer, it also had six naked women painted all over it. Leonard thought back to the many children cheering at the show master twenty minutes previous and shook his head.

The caravan was unlocked and empty. The safe easy to find and just as she had said, the combination easy to guess. "Ah, there it is" Mick grinned, when Leonard handed him the diamond "you will make us a lot of money, dear friend." Leonard allowed himself a smirk and leaned back into the safe. "Well, look at that. It appears, our little new friend was quite busy for her Master."

* * *

"Knock, knock" The acrobat's head shot up, but the shock on her face was soon replaced by confusion, when she found not the show master, but the thief with the cold gun standing in her trailer and grinning at her. "Here, your share" He said and threw a small but heavy bag into her lap. "Go on, open it" Hesitant, she did so. "That…that's the Brooklyn jewellery! I stole that three weeks ago" "It appears so" "I don't understand" "It's yours now" "Why?" "For your…troubles."

He leaned against her fridge and looked around "Quite small the place for such an excellent thief." "Happens with someone like the Master" she mumbled and tore her eyes off the bag in her hands "You do realize that you could have just left it in the safe if you don't want it? This won't do me any good" "Well" he leaned forward and whispered "if I had left it in that safe, it would have been a shame for such beautiful jewellery to be destroyed like that." "I…I really don't understand" "Care to catch a glance? I think you should see it from here." He extended a hand to her. She didn't take it, but she still followed him to the window. Her eyes widened when she saw the flames at the end of the park. "What did you do?" "Let's just say, my partner is very fond of heating things up a little."

Her jaw dropped "Is he…is he in there? The Master?" "Yes, he won't cause you any further trouble." "Why did you do this?" She asked and looked at him. Leonard smirked at her calm reaction. "Couldn't let a dumbass like him take out such a talented thief now, could I?" "I guess…thanks." She looked back at the bag in her hands, then held it out to him "Here, take this." "Nah, keep it. You'll need it" "For what?" "For whatever you do next" He pointed with his thumb to the spare interior behind him "or you wanna tell me that you plan on staying in this shithole?" She looked around, her eyes widening like she was seeing the place for the first time "No. No I don't"

"Excellent. Well, once you've figured things out, give us a call" He handed her a piece of paper with a number written on it "maybe you'll find that a little thievery is just your thing." "You mean, you would work with me?" "Better with you than against you" At that she smiled. The first smile he'd seen on her so far. It suited her better than the fearful looks before. "But don't overestimate yourself. You may have caught me off guard once, but I am no one to make the same mistake twice."

"Okay…thanks, again." "You're welcome." He nodded at her and moved to the door, but she called him back "Wait! What's your name?" He chuckled "What's yours?" "Siobhan. Just Siobhan" "Wouldn't have guessed that. Pleasure meeting you, Siobhan. I'm Leonard Snart." "Well, tell your partner that I really appreciate what you two did for me." "He didn't mind, he always enjoys a good barbeque, but I will tell him." He threw her a last glance, then he was gone and Siobhan was left with a bag of jewellery in her hands that promised an entirely new future.

 **Feedback appreciated :)**


	3. Fun Friday Night Activities

Three months passed. Three months that were terrifying and exciting and better than every single day she had lived at the circus. Siobhan wouldn't exactly describe herself as happy. But she was free. Free to do whatever she wanted and that was worth all the frightening things she had to go through during the next months. Like meeting up with the Master's contact in person and convincing him to take the stolen goods for a reasonable prize. Like calling a total stranger to rent a small apartment in Central City. Like asking a neighbour for help when her heating didn't work. Like going to her first job interview. Like dragging herself to twenty more job interviews.

In the first month she felt more exhausted than in her entire life. And that meant something, for her former life hadn't been that great either. Meeting new people, being around strangers. She'd never liked that. At the circus it had been bearable, with the masks and the group giving her anonymity. But now that she was living in a city there was not a single day she didn't have to interact with someone. Even if it only was the old woman living next door that constantly asked for help with the groceries. At first Siobhan did it, because the old lady would give her the change in return. But when she found out that the woman was poorer than her she refused the money, but kept helping her. Why she didn't know. The old woman wasn't that nice to her. But she also wasn't too bad.

She told herself that making new contacts probably was going to help her get over her anxieties. It didn't work much, but at least after three months she didn't break into a sweat anymore when the cashier asked her if she wanted the receipt. Siobhan still couldn't look people in the eye most of the time, but working at the old cinema thirty minutes from her apartment she slowly got used to constantly being around strangers. Time would change it, she always told herself and even though that change came slowly, it came.

But something else changed too. And not for the better. Three months passed and her money got fewer and fewer. Her job at the cinema didn't cover the rent, buying groceries and paying for the classes she was taking from the second month on to get better at reading. Latter hadn't mattered back at the circus. Only her skills with the aerial silk and her muscle had been important. She could recognize some words, because someone had told her what they looked like. But keeping the single letters apart was more difficult.

With only enough money left for another month, Siobhan found herself pulling out the small paper with Leonard Snart's number more often. She knew she was good enough to do a job on her own. She might have been bad at reading and bad at interacting with people, but thievery was an entirely different matter. It was like the aerial silk. She could have done it blindly. And she loved it.

What worried her more was what she would do once she had the goods. She knew she could have gotten more money for the jewellery that Leonard Snart had given her back. But her bargaining skills were buried somewhere in the same pit as her people skills. Relying on two others who knew how to do that and maybe picking up one or two things more about thieving couldn't harm her. And from the things she had heard in these last weeks in the city, the two were not just some random thieves. According to the news they were _the_ thieves. And for some reason, Captain Cold himself had given her his number with an offer to work with them.

So, she called him one evening from a public phone in the street. His unmistakable voice answered after the fourth ring "Yes" "Hi. This…this is Siobhan. I don't know if you remember me. I'm" "The acrobat, yes." "Yeah, um…" "Let me guess, you're calling because of our last conversation." "Yes" "I knew you would. Listen, I can't really talk right now, but I can call you back in about an hour." "I don't have a mobile. I'm on a public phone" Siobhan confessed. She was met with a short silence "Are you still there?" "Yeah. Fine. Let's meet. Do you have time now?" "Now? As in right now?" "As in in half an hour at the Thompson and Lloyd Jewellery store just outside Central City, dressed up and ready for some fun Friday night activities." Siobhan felt her jaw drop "Are you…are you asking me to" "No details on the phone" Leonard interrupted her "Either you come or you don't. If you don't you can call me back some other time, I won't be mad, promise." She could hear him smirk and for some reason that made her grin too. "Fine, see you there." She hung up before he could answer and sprinted back to her apartment.

She'd never changed clothes so quickly before. Her black outfit was so thin that it was no problem to put her normal clothes over it so she didn't look suspicious on the subway. When she put on her boots, her gaze fell on her black aerial silk. It was the only thing she had taken from the circus. She took that too, just in case. She couldn't believe this was happening. Actually happening. She was going to break in somewhere, right now. Together with the two most well-known thieves from Central City. While she knew she should have been asking herself why on earth they would spontaneously invite her to one of their jobs and whether this was a trap, all she could really think about was how excited she was. Working for the Master had never been fun. But stealing in general, getting in and out somewhere without being seen...in those minutes she had been another person, a stronger person.

Arriving at her destination in time would be a gamble, but if she was lucky she would make it. And it turned out she was lucky. Only two minutes late she rounded the corner of the street opposite the jewellery store and looked around. Apart from a few pedestrians she couldn't see anybody. "Where are you?" She mumbled as she took in her surroundings. An alley caught her eye, wide enough to hide a car. "Could be" She took her chances and crossed the street. And just like she had hoped there it was. A small van, parked with its front to the street and with black windshields. Cautiously she stepped nearer and knocked at the door. "Ah, hello? It's me."

The door slid open and Siobhan shied back when a gun was pointed into her face. "You're late." The low rumble of the arsonist sparked memories and excitement in her. "Sorry. The subway" "No time for explanations, get inside" He lowered the gun and moved aside to let her in. Once the door slid shut, a light was switched on and she saw the two thieves sitting in the back of the van with their weapons in their hands.

"Hi" She said and smiled "thanks for the invitation. Nice to see you again" "Indeed" Leonard said. There was a spark in his eyes she'd already seen there when he had told her that his partner had burnt the Master's caravan to the ground. A spark she could feel rising in her own stomach right now. The excitement right before a job. She had felt it before, but then it had been mixed with fear. Fear of being ratted out or killed by the Master. Now it was a good fear. The fear of doing something forbidden and enjoying it.

"Mick, meet Siobhan, Siobhan, meet Mick." Mick nodded at her, a grim expression on his face that reminded Siobhan of the day he had caught her from running off by nearly choking her with his steel grip. Sitting only half a metre from him now gave her the chills and the gun he was holding didn't help ease the feeling that she should be running again. But they had helped her out when they didn't have to and now, out of nowhere, they had invited her to do a robbery with them. Something told Siobhan that that wasn't the way robberies usually went down in a team. A team. Was this what they were right now? At least in this moment it felt like it.

"Good, now, for the details." He reached into his pocket and unfolded a paper plan. "That's the layout. We get in and out here. They have motion and sound sensors, so it will be your job to get across the room without touching the floor and turn them all off" he pointed to the four corners in the room "Then we two come in, Mick destroys the camera footage and after that everything should be a piece of cake. Any questions?" Siobhan frowned "Yeah. If I hadn't called, how would you have dealt with the sensors?" Leonard smirked "Not at all. We would have grabbed what we could and delt with the police once they got here. With you here, however, we can take as much time as we want emptying that store." Siobhan felt the corners of her mouth twitch. So she really was a valuable addition to the job. That was a new feeling. "Okay"

"Good" Mick rumbled "then let's get started! I'm getting bored already!"

Leonard broke the lock of the back door, but stopped Siobhan before she could enter the store "No pressure. If the plan fails, we improvise. That's what we always do. We have our backs. We leave no one behind if anything goes wrong. We wouldn't leave you behind. And remember, as long as all the sensors are on, the floor is fire" Siobhan nodded and he let go of her.

The small hallway from the backdoor of the office to the store wasn't sensory controlled, so she took a minute, just standing there in the frame of the hallway, to look at the inside of the room. The sound sensor was placed in the upper corner to her left. Two cameras in the other corners on her right. The motion sensors were placed a few centimetres above the floor. She counted twelve. Piece of cake.

She heaved her body up, placing her feet against the frame and carefully turned to the left, grabbing a hold of a lamp to reach the corner and turn the sound sensor off. Then she jumped onto the counter. Wrapping her legs around the top, she hung herself over the edge, eliminating two of the motion sensors. From there on it was a tricky game of guessing which parts of the floor were still covered by the other sensors. But she managed it. Six minutes and the room was clear. She didn't bother with the cameras. That was Mick's job.

"Well done" Leonard praised her when he walked into the room and looked around "well done" "Hm. Too long and too quiet for my taste" Mick said and smashed the first vitrine to raid the insides. Siobhan winced at the sound, but knew there was no alarm to go off.

They raided everything. Even the thirty two dollars from the cash box. The owner probably would have a heart attack when he arrived in the morning. "Nah, they are all insured" Mick said when she voiced her concerns and set fire to the computers that saved the camera footage. And then, just because he was in the mood, he set fire to the rest of the store as well.

Leonard only shook his head at his partner and went to load their stuff into the car. Siobhan didn't know what to think of the man's fascination with fire, but when she thought back to how he had lightened up the Master's caravan, that evil, twisted man, she felt she was in no position judge him. So she followed Leonard to the car and quietly slid into the seat in the back. The whole thing only lasted about twenty minutes and then they were driving back to Central City. Still, Siobhan had never felt as happy as during those twenty minutes.

"You get twenty percent" Leonard told her, when they dropped her off at her place in Central City "We'll call you when we have the money" "But I don't have a phone" "Now you do" He dropped something into her lap "It's a burner and only I have the number to it. Don't use it for anything else, you hear me?" "Yes, thanks" Twenty percent sounded fair for the moment. She hadn't been involved in the planning process and they could have done it without her. Though that probably would have meant less loot. Still, she was not about to complain.

"Good, expect our call in one week." "Okay, thanks again. Good night" The two nodded at her and watched her until she was inside the house.

Finally alone, Leonard looked at his partner. "You seem quite relaxed" Mick unwrapped a muffin and swallowed it whole "Because I am relaxed" "I expected you to be…more reluctant concerning her. You usually don't enjoy working in a team." Mick raised a brow at him "Seriously? That's the girl that outplayed you, Len. If there is anybody I could possibly enjoy having around it's her." Leonard's face fell and he directed his eyes back to the front. Without another word he started the motor and drove off.

 **Please R &R**


	4. Future Plans

Siobhan had always been a nervous person. About everything that involved talking to other people made her break into a sweat. But no level of nervousness she had experienced in her twenty-four years came close to the torture she was going through this week. And it all revolved around an innocent little black electronic device in her pocket. The burner Snart had given her.

Siobhan had never owned a cell phone before. She couldn't even remember the last time she had used one because, who was there to call anyway? Owning one now, even if it was just a burner, should have been strange. She had expected to forget about it after an hour. But instead it seemed to draw in her whole attention. There was not much you could do with a burner but to make calls and check for messages. And as the first one was out of the question, she stuck to checking for missed calls or messages...constantly. She awaited the call with such dread and excitement that she felt like she was close to exploding.

One week, Snart had said. Expect our call in one week.

It wasn't about the money. Even if she needed it, all she could really think about was that the two most well-known thieves from Central City had worked with her. She had seen some reports about the two on the news. Apparently they had been big in Central City, outsmarting the police for years, until the Flash showed up. A year after that they suddenly had disappeared and new reports about their activities settled them outside of Central City. Whether they had been beaten by the Flash or just lost interest in Central City, no one knew. But Siobhan didn't care, her mind was busy trying to figure out how she fit into all this. Knowing there was the possibility that they would really call her back, that perhaps there was more in for her than just the money... There were no words to describe the excitement.

But as four days passed without anything happening, Siobhan started to worry that maybe, just maybe, the two thieves had tricked her. And once that thought had settled, it only grew. She didn't know how to contact them. All she had was a phone number and if they didn't want to talk to her, there was nothing she could do about it. What reason had they anyway to give her her share? Why wouldn't they just keep it? After all, they were thieves! But then, they had also freed her of the circus, they had _burnt down_ the Master in his caravan. They had given her money and a chance to start a new life. Who would do all that and then just trick her the next time? No, they might have been thieves, but they were honest one's. At these thoughts Siobhan slowly started to doubt whether she herself was still right in the mind. But what else was there to do but wait and see what happened?

The much expected call finally came when, of course, she expected it the least and she nearly didn't answer it.

"But of course he knew better, like he always does! Doctors! I tell you, never listen to them!" Mrs. Potz said as she led the way up the stairs. Siobhan was following her quietly, a bag of groceries in each hand. "I am the one taking the meds, I am the one suffering from the side effects. So, I should be the one who knows best, right? Of course I'm right. How would you know anyway! Young people, you don't worry about anything yet! At your age I wasn't worrying either! Oh, how beautiful I was! And about to get married! Back then it was all different of course" Siobhan rolled her eyes at Mrs. Potz' large backside that was currently struggling to master the next step. Even growing up at the rim of society, she couldn't count how many times she had heard that last sentence. Still, she was far from saying anything. If Mrs. Potz felt like complaining, Siobhan would let her complain. As long as she was not expected to answer, she was comfortable. "What does he know about my pain? All he knows he's learnt from some stupid old book, but does he know what it feels like to have a bad back? To feel every change of the weather? No! I am the expert on that! I decide if I take his pills are worthless or not! I'm not letting my body get pumped full with all that bullshit! I'm not a lab rat! For god's sake, would you please turn off that annoying sound? My ears are sensible!"

Siobhan had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she not only had blended out the chatter of the old lady, but also didn't hear the ringing emanating from her pocket. "What, since when do you have one of these horrible little things? And here I thought you were one of the last normal crazy people around...what are you doing? Girl!" Mrs. Potz shouted after her when Siobhan sprinted past her, but Siobhan was already on the next floor. She quickly sped down the hallway and threw the grocery bags into the corner of Mrs. Potz' door and then yanked the burner out of her pocket. She was so excited that she turned the thing three times in her hand to find the right side to open it. The moment the voice on the other side of the line spoke, Mrs. Potz' curses faded into the background "Ah, so you do wanna talk to me. I was already doubting you'd pick up...had better things to do?"

* * *

"I don't get it" Leonard bit back a smile. If only he got a penny each time he had heard his partner say this sentence. He certainly wouldn't need to steal anything anymore. Not that he needed to anyway. "Let me explain" "What is there to explain? These targets are too small, not even close to what we usually take on. You can switch to pickpocketing and get more money out of it." "It's not about the size of the targets, Mick. It's about their location" He pointed to the title of the map they were looking at. "Central City?" Mick looked up "You wanna go up against the Flash" "More precisely, I want to go right under his nose, without him noticing us. We will take back our territory" "Without him noticing us?" "Exactly. For that" "Bullshit!" Mick interrupted him and slammed his hand down on the hood of the car between them "What is going on with you? Since when do we have to keep quiet? First you invite that Chick to a job we could have easily pulled off in half the time and with much more fun and now this? This ain't us, Len! We're loud and we're explosive. We make the front page, not the petty rag magazines." "And where did that get us?" Leonard snarled "We drew so much attention to us that the Flash had to do pull out the big guns and chase us out of our own city." "And whose fault is that?" Mick rumbled "You made that deal with him, not I" "If I wouldn't have made that deal, we both would be sitting in tiny cells right now, next to some meta human freak we can't go up against." "So what! There's no prison that can hold us! Since when are you so afraid of that speedster-boy?" "I'm not afraid, Mick. I'd just rather spend my days on the outside, doing what I do best"

Mick shook his head "That deal was ridiculous. We had him. Whatever information you had on him, we could have ended him with it." "It wasn't enough" "Then we should have killed him" "We didn't have to" "Oh, come on! You only didn't do it because you like him!" "I don't like him" "Fuck off, of course you do. He's the best rival you had in years. He's your weakness. If you weren't so obsessed with this game, you would have never let him chase us out of our city." Leonard grew very still. The icy expression in his eyes was dangerous. But he didn't snap. He never did. When he spoke his voice was low and controlled "Are you getting somewhere, Mick?" Mick snorted "And where would I be getting at? You're the one with the plans, I'm just saying what I'm thinking" "Yeah, maybe step back on that too." "Why now?" Mick finally asked "Why plan to go back now? It's been months" The anger in Leonard's face slowly faded and his eyes settled back on the sketched outline of Central City before them. "Let's just say, it's time to go home."

"The plan is simple. Stay low. Keep the police out of it. Start with small jobs" "Why? We go for the big fishes. This? Stealing from these second hand jewellery stores? You didn't even put a bank on the list! We'll be blank in a month!" "If you keep spending all your money on booze and fireworks, then yes, maybe. But if you get your shit together" Leonard leaned over the car hood and smirked at him "We can pull this off, Mick. We will take our territory back, step by step. Starting with small jobs to see how quiet we have to be to keep the Flash from showing up." "Then why start so slow?" "To train" "And since when do we have to train?" "Well, it's not really us two we have to train" Steps sounded behind them in the alley and they turned around to see a figure approaching, clothed in black so all they could see were her green eyes. "Hi. You said you had a proposition?" Mick threw his partner in crime a grin that bared every single one of his teeth "I guess we do"

* * *

Driving with Captain Cold and Heatwave in a van through Central City in broad daylight was the oddest thing Siobhan had ever experienced. But maybe by now that was just a saying, because she had experienced a lot of strange things since she moved to Central City. Still, sitting in the back of the car, right next to a pile of weapons and other unusual gear, and staring at the backs of their heads she felt like she was hallucinating. It was a different van than the one they had fled the crime scene in last week. She didn't know what she had expected when she climbed in. But definitely not that Leonard Snart would drive like anybody else around them, with the windows down and the radio playing a catchy pop song. He was even meeting the speed limit.

Siobhan had the feeling that he was watching her through the rear mirror, but whenever she looked, his eyes were on the road. The ride was mostly silent. Apart from a few comments on Leonard's boring driving technique, Mick kept quiet, keeping his attention mostly on the many snacks he seemed to hide in his jacket like other criminals did with weapons. None of them tried to start a conversation and Siobhan felt thankful for that. This whole situation was already strange enough. In her lap her fingers were nervously fiddling with the mask she had brought. It didn't look like she would need it anytime soon.

"This is it" Leonard finally broke the silence when he stopped the car in front of an old factory. They were somewhere in the outer ring of Central City, a more industrial part of the town. Old warehouses and factory buildings stood side by side, some of them looked like they had been abandoned decades ago, but some of the warehouses seemed to be still in use. The building that the two thieves were heading for had been a shoe factory as Siobhan would find out later and had once shown off bright red bricks. But now the walls were just as dusty as everything else around them.

"What is this place?" Siobhan asked, when Leonard led them up the stairs and pulled out a key to a relatively new looking chain lock on the doors. "Depends entirely on what you want it to be" Siobhan raised an eyebrow "What _I_ want it to be?" "I said I had a proposition for you. Walking out is still an option" "You make it sound like you're the good guys. Just letting me walk out after showing me your hideout..." "I didn't say we'd drive you home afterwards" He replied over his shoulder "But let's take a look around first, shall we?" He pulled both doors open and they stepped inside.

The factory was enormous. But perhaps it only looked so gigantic because it was mostly empty. Apart from a rusty assembly line, a big table and a few machines and shelves standing around there was nothing left of what had once filled the factory. The huge glass windows on the right side broke the light in such a way that the whole hall was bathed in orange light. Siobhan could see a few trails of footprints lead from the entrance to a table that was standing in the middle of the hall and back. The dust was so thick that it wasn't even floating in the air. "Cozy" Mick mumbled, as he was seeing the place for the first time too, and Siobhan silently agreed with him. "Isn't it? I knew you would like it. Come on" Leonard guided them to a flight of stairs on the right side of the entrance that led up to a small office cubicle.

"This" He said and unfolded a big city plan on the office desk "is our proposition." Siobhan stared at the city outline, then at the many letters that formed the title and then back at the two thieves who were both watching her expectantly. "Uh, okay? And what exactly...?" "Central City" Mick spoke up "we're gonna take it back." "Exactly" Leonard said and leaned over the table "And for that we'd like to make use of your...expertise" "My expertise?" Siobhan repeated unbelievingly "I'm just a thief. What am I an expert on? I can't fight, I don't...do these things I've seen you do on the news. I certainly don't have as much experience in the business as you two, I'm not an expert on tech, all I can do is what I learnt from the circus." "That's a way to put it" "So, you want my skills as an acrobat?" Siobhan frowned "How is that going to help you? You said yourself last week that you usually don't do things the way I do it, quietly" Mick snorted and pointed at her "See? Even she gets it!" Leonard didn't pay any attention to him "We could use someone like you. Someone who knows how to do things...quietly" "Quietly" Mick uttered under his breath and spat out a series of curses, but Siobhan's attention was on his partner in crime "And what exactly is your plan?" Leonard smirked "It's a bit much to explain. For now let's just say you'll be having a lot to do in the coming months and you will make a hell lot of money. How does that sound?" Siobhan did her best to sound unimpressed "Rather vague. I want the details" "And you will get them...once we know you're in." "And how do I know what I sign up for?" "We're thieves, kid" Mick rumbled "make a wild guess."

Siobhan bit her lip. Stealing things, it was what she was good at, no, it was what she was best at. It was what she enjoyed. She could already feel the urge on her tongue to say yes. The only reason she hesitated was...why was she hesitating? She didn't trust them, that was for sure, but that was not the real reason. And neither was the question whether she preferred to start a new life away from all of that. Three and a half months had passed and after the initial stress had faded, she now felt boredom seep into her life. No, the prospects of a normal life definitely weren't holding her back. Perhaps it all just sounded too good to be true. Siobhan stared at the mask her hands were angrily kneading into a small bundle. 'Too good to be true' sounded like something she could need right now.

"Fine. I'm in. But under one condition" "We don't do conditions, kid" Leonard raised a hand to quiet his partner "But we hear them out. Shoot" "Nobody gets killed" Mick snorted, but Leonard smirked "I believe we can do that, can't we, Mick?" "You're taking all the fun out of it." "Mick" "Seriously, what do we do next? Help out in a food restaurant for homeless people?" "Mick" "For fuck's sake, alright! For now!" "Great" "Are we done then? I want some fucking pizza."

* * *

"You didn't tell her" Mick said a few hours later, when they were sitting in The Ditch. "About what?" Leonard asked without interest. His eyes were on the documents Dougal had given him, scanning each page with high concentration. "You know what. The Flash. The deal. This whole thing...keeping our heads down...you know it ain't gonna work for long. He's gonna come after us, sooner or later. She's got no idea what she's getting herself into, Len. She ain't no meta human, she can't even fight. How is she gonna help us?" "She knows perfectly well what she's getting herself into" Leonard mumbled as he turned the page and still refused to look up. Mick took a deep swig from his bottle and shook his head "This is still a game to you, isn't it? This whole plan of yours...involving that girl, going all undercover...you're just doing that because you wanna prove that you can pull it off. And then, when you've done that, then you'll walk up to your favourite Speedster and rub it all under his nose. That's what this is about, isn't it? Your fucking ego! You said, you wanna go home, Len. But there is no home while he is still out there. This time, there's no way around it, if we go back, there's only one outcome." Leonard finally looked up "I don't say it didn't cross my mind" "So you will do it? Finally!" But Leonard shook his head "No. Killing him would be too easy." He put the papers down and leaned over the table. There was a dangerous look in his eyes. "I got a much, much better plan. And believe me, you are gonna like that one too." "And what plan is that?" "One, in which the Scarlet Speedster won't ever set a foot into Central City again. One, in which we can rub _that_ under his nose every single day for the rest of his life and all he will be able to do, is rattle at the bars of the cage I will throw him into. Does that sound like a good plan to you?"

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